Beet-harvester.



G. A. PINGREE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.9,1909.

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: 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Zig/ff Patented Nov. 16.1909.

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. G. AQ PINGREE.

BEET HARVESTER. APPLIOATIDN FILED MAB.9,1909.

GEORGE A. PINGREE, F ROCKY FORD, COLORADO.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application led March 9, 1909. Serial No. 482,343.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. PINGREE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rocky Ford, in the county of Otero and State of Colorado,have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvester, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has relation to beet harvesters and it consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter shownand described.

The object of the invention is to provide, in a beet harvester, meansfor transferring the beets from lifters attached to the diggers commonlyused in such structures, and depositing the same upon an elevatorarranged at the rear portion of the machine. ln other words, theprincipal feature of the present invention is a transmitter of peculiararrangement and operation adapted to pass the beets from the digger tothe elevator.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bestharvester. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

The harvester consists of a frame 1, which is mounted at its forward endportion upon a wheel-supported truck 2, and at its rear end portion uponan axle 3, which, in turn, is mounted upon traction wheels 4. A frame 5is carried at the forward portion of the frame 1, and a nder 6 isjournaled for rotation at the lower portion of the said frame. The saidfinder is preferably in the form of a -drum having a series of radiatingfingers, but as the said finder forms no part of the present invention,further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. A knife 7 is alsoattached to the frame 5 and is adapted to operate upon the tops of thebeets under the finder 6. Standards 8 are attached to the frame 1 atpoints intermediate of the ends thereof and carry at their lower endsshares or diggers 9. 1nclined rods are attached at their lower forwardends to the said shares 9 or the lower end portions of the standards 8,and the rod 10 mounted upon one share 9 is spaced from the rod 10mounted upon the other share, as illustrated. A gear wheel l1 is fixedto the axle 3 and meshes with a gear wheel 12, mounted upon a shaft 13;the said shaft 13 is journaled for rotation upon the frame 1 and islocated below and slightly in advance of the axle 3. Sprocket wheels 14are fixed to the shaft 13 and are spaced from each other. A shaft 15 isjournaled for rotation in brackets 16 attached to the frame l, andidlers 17 are journaled upon the shaft 15. Downwardly inclined arms 18are supported by the frame 1, and a shaft 19 is journaled at the lowerends of the arms 18. Sprocket idlers 20 are journaled upon the shaft 19,and sprocket chains 21 pass around the sprocket wheels 14 and sprocketidlers 17 and 20. The chains 2l carry the cross slats or bars 22. Thusit will be seen that as the machine is drawn along the ground and thetraction wheels 4 rotate in the direction of movemnt of the machine,through the axle 3 and intermeshing gear wheels 11 and 12, rotarymovement is transmitted to the shaft 13 in the opposite direction. Asthe chains 21 derive their movement from the wheels 14 carried by theshaft 13, the said chains 21 move orbitally, and their upper runs movefrom the forward end toward the rear end of the frame 1. The said chainsand cross bars or slats 22 form an elevator for raising and deliveringthe beets as they are deposited upon the same, as will be hereinafterexplained.

L-shaped arms 23 are pivotally mounted at their rear ends upon the axle3, and are provided at their forward extremities with elongated slots24, which receive pins 25, mounted upon the frame 1. A shaft 26 isjournaled for rotation at the lower forward portions of the arms 23, andcarries a sprocket wheel 27. A sprocket wheel 28 is xed to the axle 3,and a sprocket chain 29 passes around the sprocket .wheels 27 and 28.L-shaped arms 30 are pivotally mounted at their forward ends upon theshaft 26, and are provided at their rear ends with elongated slots 31,which receive pins 32, carried by the intermediate portion of the lowerpart of the arms 23. A shaft 33 is journaled for rotation at the upperrear portions of the arms 30. A sprocket wheel 34 is fixed to the shaft33 approximately at a. K

point midway between its ends. A sprocket wheel 35 is fixed to the shaft26 at a point approximately midway between its ends and a sprocket chain36 passes around the sprocket wheels 34 and 35. The hub of the sprocketwheel 35 is provided at each side of the said wheel with a clutch member37. The wheel 35 is fixed with relation to the shaft 26. Clutch members38 are loosely mounted upon the Ashaft 26 and are adapted to engage theclutch extremities 37 of the hub of the wheel 35. Collars 39 areadjustably mounted upon the shaft 26 and coil springs 40 are interposedbetween the said collars and the clutch hub 3S. The said springs 40 areunder tension with a tendency to hold the clutch members 33 inengagement with the clutch extremities 37 of the wheel 35. rlhe clutchmembers 33 carry radially disposed fingers 41 and the chain belt 36carries outstanding fingers 42.

From the above description it is obvious that as the machine is drawnalong a row of beets and the shares 9 are passed at opposite sides ofthe said row, the said shares will engage the beets after the tops havebeen removed by the knifeeblade 7, and pass the same back along the rods10. By reason of the fact that the said rods 10 are upwardly inclinedtoward their rear ends they will lift the beets inthe soil, and, as thebeets pass toward the upper ends of the said rods they are engaged bythe fingers 41 carried by the clutch members 38. inasmuch as the saidclutch members are held toward each other under the tension of thesprings 40 they may also move away from each other against the tensionof the said springs, and thus the iingers 41 of one of the members maymove away from the fingers 41 of the other member and vice versa, sothat the space between the two sets of fingers may be increased toreceive extra large beets. Also should the fingers 41 encounter a largeobstruction, as for instance, a loose stone, the stone will separate thetwo sets of fingers 41 to such an extent as to cause their respectiveclutch members 38 to disengage the clutch extremities 37 of the sprocketwheel 35, and thus the sets of fingers 41 will cease to rotate about theaxis of the shaft 26, and will remain at a state of rest until the saidobstruction is removed.

It is of course understood that the shaft l26 derives its movement fromthe axle 3 through the sprocket wheels 27 and 23 and the connectingchain 29, and, by reason of the fact that the sprocketwheel 27 is ofless diameter than the sprocket wheel 23, the fingers 41 will rotate ata greater rate of speed than that in which the machine, as an entirety,moves in a forward direction, and, as the fingers engage the beets,while they are still in contact with the soil, the resistance on thepart of the soil causes the said fingers to firmly grip the beets andcarry the same up along the upper portions of the rods 10. When thebeets have been entirely raised above the surface of the ground they areengaged by the fingers 42 carried by the chain 36 and forced frombetween the two sets of fingers 41 and deposited upon the upper runs ofthe chain belts 21, and are carried up along the same by the cross slatsor bars 22. The fingers 42 are enabled to remove the beets from betweenthe two sets of fingers 41 by reason of the fact that the chain belt 36which carries the fingers 42 moves in an elongated orbit, while thefingers 41 move in a circular orbit about the axis of the shaft 26.

It will also be seen that by reason of the fact that the arms 23 maymove vertically at their forward portions, the fingers 41 mayaccommodate themselves vertically with relation to beets of differentsizes, and also by reason of the fact that the arms 30 may movevertically at their rear ends, such vertical accommodation is possibleupon the part of the fingers 42.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure, by Letters Patent, is

1. In a beet harvester having a digger and an elevator means fortransmitting the beets from the digger to the elevator comprising aplurality of sets of fingers arranged for movement about an axis andresiliently held toward each other and moving` over the digger towardthe elevator.

2. in a beet harvester comprising a digger and an elevator, means fortransmitting the beets from the digger to the elevator comprising aplurality of sets of fingers arranged to rotate about an axis andlocated over the digger and movable toward the elevator, and a series offingers arranged for orbital movement in a plane between the first saidsets of fingers.

3. In a beet harvester comprising a digger and an elevator means fortransmitting the beets from the digger to the elevator comprising aplurality of sets of fingers mounted for rotation about an axis andlocated over the digger and movable toward the elevator, means forresiliently holding the said sets of fingers toward each other, andanother set of fingers arranged for orbital movement between the firstsets of fingers.

4. ln a beet harvester comprising a digger and an elevator, means fortransmitting the beets from the digger to the elevator, arms pivotallymounted at their rear ends and free for limited vertical movementattheir forward ends, a shaft journaled for rotation at the forwardportions of the arms, fingers mounted upon the shaft for rotation aboutthe axis thereof, and a. second set of fingers arranged for orbitalmovement about the axis of the supporting shaft of the first said set offingers.

5. In a beet harvester comprising a digger and an elevator, means fortransmitting the beets from the digger to the elevator comprising armspivotally supported at their rear ends and free for vertical movement attheir forward portions, a shaft journaledfor rotation at their forwardportions, two sets of fingers mounted upon the shaft, resilient meansfor holding the said sets of kfingers toward each other, arms pivoted attheir forward ends upon said shaft and free for vertical movement attheir rear ends, a shaft journaled 1t the rear ends of the last saidarms, and nOers arrano'ed for orbital movement about both of thehsadshafts and. in a i GEORGE A' PINGREE' 5 plane between the sets offingers upon the W'tnesses:

rst said shafts. PAUL M. NORTH, In testimony that I claim the foregoingas Z. T. ROBERTS.

my own, I have hereto axed my signature 1n the presence of tWoWltnesses.

